Thursday, November 15, 2012

Lily Ripper 13

Gringill's Pet Black Thing

The White Maidens did not store
themselves in apartments and barracks as the Red Guard does.
Preferring more communal accommodations, their home spread across the
second story of the Ebony tower, taking shape in one giant
bedroom/Kitchen/Dinning Room combination with small curtained off
areas for privacy. The base of the Ebony tower is huge, for the
readers that have never seen it, and the inside is made of marble.
The effect of being in the Burrow, a name given to their home by the
White Maidens, is staggering. It spills out in a mess of pillows and
rugs laid in between a maze of marble pillars as thick as buildings
and as high, as well. Despite the lack of walls, new comers have
complained of becoming lost.

Madeline and Anna were not new comers,
but were equally uncomfertable. Red Guard barracks are tidy and
organized. It was all the two Reds could do to suppress their deeps
seeded need to clean. Regaurdless, both walked on into the melstrom
of madness. At least the smell was perfumed and the White Maidens
bathed.

A few directions later and the two
found Sarah Gringill wrapped up in bedding with a glass of hot
bean-juice precariously balanced on a stack of papyrus. She wore an
entire white sheet as her veil and used both her hands, one to hold
and read a scroll, the other was petting something black beside her.
"Red Guard material." Madeline muttered.

"I can hear you, Madeline
Fallbringer." Said Sarah. "Please, pull up a pillow."

When Anna knelt before the Maiden, she
nodded inwardly to herself. It was no surprise to see Gringill has a
red linie tatooed from her scalp down her body, bisecting her. The
White Maidens, also unlike their Red sisters, did not have ranks.
Everyone was on the same level of power. Some, however, would be
such a remarkable creature that they would honored with the red
tatoo, signafying that this particular White Maiden was something
truly unique among the church.

"Miss Gringill," Madeline
started, but Sarah held up her hand. A motion from a supirior to be
silent until they were finished with their current task. Madeline
shot Anna a look that clearly asked "Can you believe the nerve?"

Anna flexed her awareness and tried to
read Sarah as she finished reading the Scroll. A scroll, she
noticed, with the Red eye of Mandra on the seal. Rules, most likely,
and the basic principals of the Red Guard. Fingers next. The were
well manacured, but with tiny burns on the tips. Anna couldn't say
what they were from. Odd. The stack of papyrus under her cup looked
like treaties and ixxar documents, as well as a symbol Anna didn't
recognize. All together, Gringill spoke of someone who collected
knowledge and had a strange hobby she did without her gloves. Ah
yes.

"She preparing for the transfer to
Major." Anna whispered. "Perhaps liaison with the Ixxar
or the council."

"Very good, Anna." Sarah
said, smiling. "Now ponder the burns on my hands in silence
while I finish this." Anna blushed, but turned her mind to work
on the burns. Sarah helped, still reading, by holding up her petting
hand to show off the burns. They were dark and dry, not like fire.
More like she grabbed an ember with all five fingers. It was the
same on her other hand. Black and brown dry burns.

Finally Sarah finished and sighed. She
put down the scroll and gave her full attention to Anna. "There.
Any ideas?"

"I can only guess that you picked
up something ashen with both hands. I'm rather at a loss."

"At the risk of sounding too
mysterious, I can only say you may find out yourself before the day
is old. Have either of you had breakfast?" The two nodded.
Madeline could not un-narrow her eyes. "It's quite alright,
Miss Fallbringer. I won't destroy 2,000 years of political
structure."

"Just from curiousity, ARE you
just to be a liaison between the Red and White branch of the church?"

Gringill giggled. "Oh no. No,
I've already worked it out with the High Priestess. I shall be
inducted tomorrow, I think. In about a week, I think, all the
arrangements I have with your branch shall be fulfilled. Then we'll
see the start of something interesting, Miss Fallbringer. Something
very interesting." She waved it away. "But I'm not in the
habit of giving away surprises." She pulled the sheet off her
head and laughed. Her cyan eyes gleemed, especially as they were
surrounded by dark dark tan skin. "I must admit, Anna, you're
amazing. You're research regarding the council eight seasons ago was
beautiful! Somewhere in this mess, I have your report to Major
Eleanor. Incredible!" She reached over and put her hands in
Anna's lap. "Personally, I didn't have to meet you, I could
have sent Gravedust your way, but I'm something of a fan."
Gravedust, a name? "Please tell me you still keep in touch with
Drate Felfkin."

"Uh...oh yes." Anna wasn't
used to praise like this. "He lives south as a clock-smith."

"I noticed your report left out a
certain Effee. That was wise."

"What's she talking about?"
Madeline asked.

"It doesn't matter, I'm just
gushing." Sarah fanned herself. "I've a meeting with the
Council-Ixxar at noon, and I must get ready. You see, Anna, I'm just
a stepping stone in this conversation. I'll let you two get
aquainted." She shook the black thing at her side. "Gravedust,
wakey wakey."

"How did you know Cherry would
fetch me?"

"Please, Anna. It's Cherry.
She's quite the chatterer."

The black thing uncurled, revealing a
slump of a womume, at least Anna thought she was a womume. She was
pale as the marble around her, much of her skin covered in blue
veins. Her clothes could have been White Maiden, but they had been
dyed black. Her purple lips uncovered yellow crooked teeth in a
grimace. "Too bright." She said in a low gravely tone.
"Where's the dark?"

Sarah Gringill took a sip of her
bean-juice and handed the rest to Gravedust. "Drink, it'll
help." The thing threw a blanket over her head and pulled the
cup under with her. "And with that, ladies, I bid you fairwell.
They haven't fitted me for a uniform yet." She drew a thick
white veil from under her pillows and threw it over her head. On her
way past, she put an ungloved hand on Anna's shoulder. "When
you're done, no matter what happens, come back to Annalow." And
she disappeared between the pillars.

===

"I would peel away the flesh from
my arm before setting eyes on that dread fire again." Gravedust
was in a foul mood. The few times Anna and Madeline were able to see
the flash of yellow teeth under the blanket they had been gnashing
and biting. "Which one of you is Anna Goldeyes...No, nevermind.
It's the one with Gold Eyes, right? Ugh."

"Sorry," Anna started, "but
what are you?"

Madeline leaned over to Anna to speak
under her breath, "I think she's a Cemetery Girl."

"A what?" Anna didn't get an
answer because a set of Manicles flew out from under the blanket.

"I don't need both of you. Just
that one." Gravedust pointed a pale finger from underneath.
"Goldeyes."

"No you're not." Madeline
stood up. "I know you creatures, and she either stays or I come
with." Another set of manacles landed at Madeline's feet.

"Before anyting, Gravedust, I need
to know what's going on. I wasn't made aware of a summons or plan."

Anna found herself being pulled
upwards. Madeline had had enough. "Don't trust her OR Nara
Nakki."

"Queen Nara Nakki never lies!"
Burst the dark girl.

"No," Madeline said "But
she deceives. You didn't say Anna wouldn't be hurt or killed, just
that YOU wuoldn't do it."

"We make no promises what the
womume does to herself." Gravedust showed her cruel yellow
smile from under. "How could we make such a pact?"

"Come on, Anna." She pulled
the Red Guard away and they started walking and stepping around
pillows. "These mumes are abominations of Mandra. They ONLY
value and trade death and pain. I don't care what they're offering
you, if you caught Nara Nakki's eye, something's wrong."

"Miss Goldeyes?" Gravedust
could still be heard from behind the pillars and curtains. "Nara
Nakki knows Lily Ripper!"

Madeline's fingers slipped away. She
turned to see Anna walk right back to the black thing. "Ugh,
Mandra grant me strength." Madeline followed.

"How would this Queen even know
about my search?" Anna crossed her arms. "And what are
the terms?"

"What? No 'Lies and Deciet?' I'm disappointed."

"I thought Nara Nakki never lied?"
Anna pulled the blanket from off the girl. She squeeled and shrunk
into a ball, protecting her eyes. "You have my attention,
Cemetery Girl. Now convince me to follow you in chains."

"We trade in pain, Anna Goldeyes,
but only with each other. With everyone else, we trade in
information, and only Queen Nara Nakki knows who your ripper is. She
wants to help."

Madeline wasn't impressed. "Why?
What for?"

The thing rose to show her face,
grinning under her black veil. "Perhaps she's tired of Lily
Ripper."

Anna squatted in front of Gravedust,
then pulled the veil off, forcing another squeel from the thing. "Do
you Cemetery Girls have children?"

Gravedust put both her hands over her
eyes. "Ugh. So bright."

"Do you?!"

"Of course we do!" The thing
grimaced in pain. "We fight and fuck and birth and eat.
Sometimes all at once."

"And you worship death!"
Yelled Madeline.

"But we DO NOT KILL!" The
thing yelled back. Then she shrugged and grinned. "At least,
not on purpose." She struggled to pull her hands from her eyes
and squinted to see Anna. Her eyes were cyan, like Sarahs. "And
even Queen Nara Nakki, who I have witnessed bathe in the rotted blood
of fresh dead, would not kill her own children."

Madeline crossed her arms. She gave
the thing a good long look and opened her mouth to speak. She was
cut off, however, by the clink of Anna's manacles.